DENVER – Thousands gathered at the Colorado State Capitol Saturday in support of reproductive freedom for all.
The march in Denver was part of protests around the country demanding continued access to abortion.
"I'm out here this morning because I just feel like you should be able to choose the family that you want to have," said Leah Mendel, a pro-choice rally participant.
Congresswoman Diana DeGette, D-Colo., and Vicki Cowart, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, were among several who spoke at the women’s march rally on the west steps of the capitol building.
"We have got to make sure that Roe v. Wade, which has been the law of the land for almost 50 years, stays safe and stays that way," said Cowart.
The demonstrations come days before the start of a new term for the Supreme Court that will decide the future of abortion rights in the United States.
In a statement to Denver7, Marcie Little, executive director of Colorado for Life, a pro-life organization, claims legislation to restrict abortion rights benefits women's health, but did not cite any medical research.
"Continued access to abortion threatens the lives of women every day in the United States. In the name of “women’s empowerment,” the abortion industry continually fights legislation designed to protect women’s health and wellbeing. Nowhere is this more evident than in the “Women’s Health Protection Act” which recently passed in the House of Representatives. This deceptively-named act would actually eliminate many protections for women in every state in America. The only beneficiary of this act is the abortion industry. The victims are women and their children," wrote Little in a statement.
With the coronavirus pandemic still running strong, attendance at the rallies were in the hundreds of thousands nationally.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
